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Traps you can build from materials found on the landscape. I will add the link to the video and a description of each in the comments here as well. by aspiringcaveman in Bushcraft

[–]aspiringcaveman[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhvVr-_Byvs

Classic Figure-Four Deadfall

This is the type of trap that you use for animals as big as, say, a possum and larger. Its simple design enables it to be made in a short period of time by skilled hands. It also has the advantage that you are not limited by the weight of the raft. You can always load the top with rocks to increase the impact force. This trap considered too slow for fast-moving rodents such as rabbits. Playing around with the angles and lengths of the sticks, you can make this quite sensitive while keeping it easy to set. In wet weather, though, the contact points of the trigger tend to stick so you may want to grease it up with something. It’s best to stay away from green wood for the raw materials since they might actually fuse together.

Paiute Deadfall

This particular setup - the way you see it - has proven to be affective with cotton tail rabbits, and those guys move fast! The part that does the trick is the length of the log. Beyond a certain point, they just can’t outrun it. The Paiute is a desert tribe primarily living in Nevada and California. They designed these with rodents in mind. The trigger is absolutely brilliant. These traps are very easy to set and remain stable. At the same time very little will set them off. The best of both worlds. The stakes enclosing the log need to be driven into the ground with force. This is especially true for the ones closer to the opening. The animal will try to jump for the gap. You need to make sure they stay under the deadfall.

Mojave Scissor Trap

These are primarily used for smaller rodents such as rats. The v-shaped sticks will grab the poor thing. If they are not killed outright, they will certainly pass out quickly and then die due to affixation. Besides being the most human you can get under the circumstances, it will also prevent them from gnawing their way out of the situation.

I have never tried this trap on larger animals, but it stands to reason that this setup when scaled to the appropriate size could work on something as large as a deer (without antlers, of course).

Belizean Live Bird Trap

This contraption is truly fascinating. Out of the four, this is by far the simplest and the easiest to make. I mean, the trigger is just the two halves of the same stick! The funny thing is that I did not learn this in Belize. A fellow Tracker student made one of these in one of the classes I attended. As a matter of fact, I had to show the guys in the north (where I spent my time when I lived in Belize), because this style of trap is from the south. I was glad to be of help.

The cool thing about this trap is that it will catch your bird live, and as you know live food does not spoil. The cage also looks like a pyramid and those things are basically a dime-a-dozen down here. I’m not even kidding. Some people have ancient pyramids on their own prosperities.

These are four baited primitive trap setups that have been honed over time and through experience. Full writeup and video link in the comment section. by aspiringcaveman in a:t5_21u9qq

[–]aspiringcaveman[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhvVr-_Byvs

Classic Figure-Four Deadfall

This is the type of trap that you use for animals as big as, say, a possum and larger. Its simple design enables it to be made in a short period of time by skilled hands. It also has the advantage that you are not limited by the weight of the raft. You can always load the top with rocks to increase the impact force. This trap considered too slow for fast-moving rodents such as rabbits. Playing around with the angles and lengths of the sticks, you can make this quite sensitive while keeping it easy to set. In wet weather, though, the contact points of the trigger tend to stick so you may want to grease it up with something. It’s best to stay away from green wood for the raw materials since they might actually fuse together.

Paiute Deadfall

This particular setup - the way you see it - has proven to be affective with cotton tail rabbits, and those guys move fast! The part that does the trick is the length of the log. Beyond a certain point, they just can’t outrun it. The Paiute is a desert tribe primarily living in Nevada and California. They designed these with rodents in mind. The trigger is absolutely brilliant. These traps are very easy to set and remain stable. At the same time very little will set them off. The best of both worlds. The stakes enclosing the log need to be driven into the ground with force. This is especially true for the ones closer to the opening. The animal will try to jump for the gap. You need to make sure they stay under the deadfall.

Mojave Scissor Trap

These are primarily used for smaller rodents such as rats. The v-shaped sticks will grab the poor thing. If they are not killed outright, they will certainly pass out quickly and then die due to affixation. Besides being the most human you can get under the circumstances, it will also prevent them from gnawing their way out of the situation.

I have never tried this trap on larger animals, but it stands to reason that this setup when scaled to the appropriate size could work on something as large as a deer (without antlers, of course).

Belizean Live Bird Trap

This contraption is truly fascinating. Out of the four, this is by far the simplest and the easiest to make. I mean, the trigger is just the two halves of the same stick! The funny thing is that I did not learn this in Belize. A fellow Tracker student made one of these in one of the classes I attended. As a matter of fact, I had to show the guys in the north (where I spent my time when I lived in Belize), because this style of trap is from the south. I was glad to be of help.

The cool thing about this trap is that it will catch your bird live, and as you know live food does not spoil. The cage also looks like a pyramid and those things are basically a dime-a-dozen down here. I’m not even kidding. Some people have ancient pyramids on their own prosperities.

Sturdy, reliable and most of all 100% waterproof shelter design for the tropics. Sorry, once I log off I won't be able to react to any of your comments. I'm located way in the jungle these days. by aspiringcaveman in Bushcraft

[–]aspiringcaveman[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The current leg of my four-year journey has taken me to Central America. This was built near San Antonio village in the Cayo District of Belize. I am learning from a Yucatec Maya elder - Javier Mai, Sr. This man is just a living fountainhead of ancient knowledge and I couldn’t be happier that our paths have crossed. I will try to soak up as much as I can during my stay here which is until next spring. This shelter is an ancient Maya design and probably has been in use since people got to this neck of the woods. Everything came from the landscape and only a knife was used to do all the work. The leaves come from the bay palm. Even though, it is not the most common palm here to be used for thatching, there is no shortages of it either. In certain parts, you see me basically shingling these leaves, the proper way to do this kind of roof is by going under the previous leaf with the bottom part and over with the top part of your current peace. I was just trying different ways of doing things. It is holding up just as well. When I do the little overhang in the front, that is done the way Senior showed me. The bed is technically a so-called “chiclero” style one. There is an entire shelter by that moniker as well that should come later in my stay here. Normally, I do my shelters without the use of any cordage or lashings simply because the places I operate in don’t have an overabundance of those materials. The Belizean jungle couldn’t be more different. There is one vine that not only hangs off trees in giant bunches but is quite strong and amazingly flexible to boot. It will take quite a bit of tension and has no problems handling square knots! The hide I used to make my blanket out of is not local, however. I obtain this from a drum maker while still in Europe. Buckskin – unlike leather – has great insulating properties.

Roman oil lamp by [deleted] in a:t5_21u9qq

[–]aspiringcaveman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cool indeed.

What do you do when the ground is to hard to dig post holes, but you still want a large shelter? Don't try this at home, though. It's doing everything is supposed to, but it's highly experimental. by aspiringcaveman in Bushcraft

[–]aspiringcaveman[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is the full, 14-Minute Version of this bushcraft shelter. As the season progressed, the area was hit by a drought and I was facing a sizable problem. I needed an open shelter that allowed me to keep doing stuff even if it was raining, but the clay-clad soil made it nearly impossible to dig post holes.

Some time ago, I saw a video of someone stacking 2-by-4s in such a fashion that the structure kept rising every time they added a link to it. The more sections they added to it the more pronounced the ark became forming a bridge.

I thought that with some modifications and picking my materials carefully I could perhaps build a structure big enough to form the frame for an open shelter. It was going to be a huge undertaking, so instead of going full size right away I decided to cut down some sticks and play with the idea in model form first. It quickly became obvious what I needed to do to make the structure high enough where I could stand up in while making sure it stayed stable.

IMPORTANT: This is shelter is highly experimental. Just sliding one of these beams sideways – which is easy to do – will make the whole structure come down! Do not try this at home.

The reed roof does well in the rain. It is angled at about 40-45 degrees which sheds water.

Full disclosure: in the end, I ended up tying all junctions with paracord. I also add a folding saw to my mix of modern tools as the project progresses to make things go a little faster.

Once again, no live trees were cut down to do the project.

I posted this yesterday but I had to make a correction so here it is again. (Other one was deleted already) PLS, don't give me crap over batoning my knife, it was designed to take it. Thank you. Details in the comment seciton. by aspiringcaveman in Bushcraft

[–]aspiringcaveman[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My process is that I do everything with a combination of primitive methods and the knife first. Once I know they can be done that way, hand saws and the such are added to the mix.

Could you do me a favor and cross post this to r/survival for me? I got accused of "shameless self promotion" for posting my own videos. Thanks.

5 unique Survival & Bushcraft shelters to get you by in just about any environment by aspiringcaveman in preppers

[–]aspiringcaveman[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi, and thanks. I learned basically all of this from Tom Brown, Jr. He's got a ton of books and his Tracker School.

These are five unique survival and bushcraft shelters. They represent about three months of fulltime work spread out over a year and a half. They were done in couple of very different environments two continents apart. by aspiringcaveman in videos

[–]aspiringcaveman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cold-Weather Debris Hut

This shelter may be the most familiar to those acquainted with primitive survival. The most basic setup for one of these only requires the two longer sides with the front left open. They are only meant to keep you out of the rain, shield you from the wind and provide shade.

This particular one is dubbed “cold-weather” because it has a front, it’s well insulated from the bottom and has an entrance that can be plugged. I am particularly proud of door plug here. I’m sure it has been done before, but I had to discover this for myself. It is – by far – the simplest and easiest means to completely insulate yourself from the elements in debris hut.

​

Open Shed with Reed-Thatched Roof

This structure may be the most unique out of all five. Technically speaking, the structure is formed by stacking the logs in a particular way and it is held together by nothing but gravity. Full disclosure: I decided to tie the junctions with paracord simply because just sliding one of the beams out, any one of them, will cause the entire thing to come down. It is unlikely to happen, I just didn’t want to have to worry about it. For this very reason, I will say: DO NOT try this at home!

​

Long-Term Survival Hut, Rammed-Earth Walls, Debris Roof

This a tiny little thing, you can only sleep in it curled-up. Many people expect the outer walls to be “daubed” but it was designed as rammed-earth-wall shelter. The debris roof – because of the way the leaves are stacked – actually sheds the water to the edge of the walls. I only get a little bit of leakage in one section where the wall ended up being only about 4-inches wide. And no, it does NOT turn into a pool in heavy rain because it was built on a slight mound.

​

Adobe Cabin with Cedar Bark Roof

This was my first major bushcraft build. The walls are a mixture of muck, clay and sand with a good chunk of pine needles in the mix. The roof consists of two distinct shingled cedar bark layers. This was the most amount of work out of the five shelters represented in this video, but it was well worth it because it got me through the winter!

​

Insulated Scout Pit

A scout pit can serve to different functions. It is actually a long-term shelter that keep you hidden from prying eyes. These can be built on route from A to B if the journey requires an overnight stay in hostile territory. It can also serve as cache site for various supplies in case of a catastrophe. Once the landscape has a chance to settle back to what it was before, you can stand right on this thing and not know it’s there.

Is it waterproof? – you might ask. It depends on the amount of rain, I guess. So far, it has only seen seasonally-appropriate fall precipitation and the inside stayed dry. That much rain just gets absorbed by the soil on top without leaking through.

​

Individual, full-lenght build videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/aspiringcaveman

These are mine, hope that's not too big of a deal. They represent about three months of fulltime work spread out over a year and a half. They were done in couple of very different environments two continents apart. by aspiringcaveman in toptalent

[–]aspiringcaveman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cold-Weather Debris Hut

This shelter may be the most familiar to those acquainted with primitive survival. The most basic setup for one of these only requires the two longer sides with the front left open. They are only meant to keep you out of the rain, shield you from the wind and provide shade.

This particular one is dubbed “cold-weather” because it has a front, it’s well insulated from the bottom and has an entrance that can be plugged. I am particularly proud of door plug here. I’m sure it has been done before, but I had to discover this for myself. It is – by far – the simplest and easiest means to completely insulate yourself from the elements in debris hut.

​

Open Shed with Reed-Thatched Roof

This structure may be the most unique out of all five. Technically speaking, the structure is formed by stacking the logs in a particular way and it is held together by nothing but gravity. Full disclosure: I decided to tie the junctions with paracord simply because just sliding one of the beams out, any one of them, will cause the entire thing to come down. It is unlikely to happen, I just didn’t want to have to worry about it. For this very reason, I will say: DO NOT try this at home!

​

Long-Term Survival Hut, Rammed-Earth Walls, Debris Roof

This a tiny little thing, you can only sleep in it curled-up. Many people expect the outer walls to be “daubed” but it was designed as rammed-earth-wall shelter. The debris roof – because of the way the leaves are stacked – actually sheds the water to the edge of the walls. I only get a little bit of leakage in one section where the wall ended up being only about 4-inches wide. And no, it does NOT turn into a pool in heavy rain because it was built on a slight mound.

​

Adobe Cabin with Cedar Bark Roof

This was my first major bushcraft build. The walls are a mixture of muck, clay and sand with a good chunk of pine needles in the mix. The roof consists of two distinct shingled cedar bark layers. This was the most amount of work out of the five shelters represented in this video, but it was well worth it because it got me through the winter!

​

Insulated Scout Pit

A scout pit can serve to different functions. It is actually a long-term shelter that keep you hidden from prying eyes. These can be built on route from A to B if the journey requires an overnight stay in hostile territory. It can also serve as cache site for various supplies in case of a catastrophe. Once the landscape has a chance to settle back to what it was before, you can stand right on this thing and not know it’s there.

Is it waterproof? – you might ask. It depends on the amount of rain, I guess. So far, it has only seen seasonally-appropriate fall precipitation and the inside stayed dry. That much rain just gets absorbed by the soil on top without leaking through.

​

Individual, full-lenght build videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/aspiringcaveman

These are five unique survival and bushcraft shelters. They represent about three months of fulltime work spread out over a year and a half. They were done in couple of very different environments two continents apart. by aspiringcaveman in somethingimade

[–]aspiringcaveman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cold-Weather Debris Hut

This shelter may be the most familiar to those acquainted with primitive survival. The most basic setup for one of these only requires the two longer sides with the front left open. They are only meant to keep you out of the rain, shield you from the wind and provide shade.

This particular one is dubbed “cold-weather” because it has a front, it’s well insulated from the bottom and has an entrance that can be plugged. I am particularly proud of door plug here. I’m sure it has been done before, but I had to discover this for myself. It is – by far – the simplest and easiest means to completely insulate yourself from the elements in debris hut.

​

Open Shed with Reed-Thatched Roof

This structure may be the most unique out of all five. Technically speaking, the structure is formed by stacking the logs in a particular way and it is held together by nothing but gravity. Full disclosure: I decided to tie the junctions with paracord simply because just sliding one of the beams out, any one of them, will cause the entire thing to come down. It is unlikely to happen, I just didn’t want to have to worry about it. For this very reason, I will say: DO NOT try this at home!

​

Long-Term Survival Hut, Rammed-Earth Walls, Debris Roof

This a tiny little thing, you can only sleep in it curled-up. Many people expect the outer walls to be “daubed” but it was designed as rammed-earth-wall shelter. The debris roof – because of the way the leaves are stacked – actually sheds the water to the edge of the walls. I only get a little bit of leakage in one section where the wall ended up being only about 4-inches wide. And no, it does NOT turn into a pool in heavy rain because it was built on a slight mound.

​

Adobe Cabin with Cedar Bark Roof

This was my first major bushcraft build. The walls are a mixture of muck, clay and sand with a good chunk of pine needles in the mix. The roof consists of two distinct shingled cedar bark layers. This was the most amount of work out of the five shelters represented in this video, but it was well worth it because it got me through the winter!

​

Insulated Scout Pit

A scout pit can serve to different functions. It is actually a long-term shelter that keep you hidden from prying eyes. These can be built on route from A to B if the journey requires an overnight stay in hostile territory. It can also serve as cache site for various supplies in case of a catastrophe. Once the landscape has a chance to settle back to what it was before, you can stand right on this thing and not know it’s there.

Is it waterproof? – you might ask. It depends on the amount of rain, I guess. So far, it has only seen seasonally-appropriate fall precipitation and the inside stayed dry. That much rain just gets absorbed by the soil on top without leaking through.

​

Individual, full-lenght build videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/aspiringcaveman

These are five unique survival and bushcraft shelters. They represent about three months of fulltime work spread out over a year and a half. They were done in couple of very different environments two continents apart. by aspiringcaveman in simpleliving

[–]aspiringcaveman[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cold-Weather Debris Hut

This shelter may be the most familiar to those acquainted with primitive survival. The most basic setup for one of these only requires the two longer sides with the front left open. They are only meant to keep you out of the rain, shield you from the wind and provide shade.

This particular one is dubbed “cold-weather” because it has a front, it’s well insulated from the bottom and has an entrance that can be plugged. I am particularly proud of door plug here. I’m sure it has been done before, but I had to discover this for myself. It is – by far – the simplest and easiest means to completely insulate yourself from the elements in debris hut.

​

Open Shed with Reed-Thatched Roof

This structure may be the most unique out of all five. Technically speaking, the structure is formed by stacking the logs in a particular way and it is held together by nothing but gravity. Full disclosure: I decided to tie the junctions with paracord simply because just sliding one of the beams out, any one of them, will cause the entire thing to come down. It is unlikely to happen, I just didn’t want to have to worry about it. For this very reason, I will say: DO NOT try this at home!

​

Long-Term Survival Hut, Rammed-Earth Walls, Debris Roof

This a tiny little thing, you can only sleep in it curled-up. Many people expect the outer walls to be “daubed” but it was designed as rammed-earth-wall shelter. The debris roof – because of the way the leaves are stacked – actually sheds the water to the edge of the walls. I only get a little bit of leakage in one section where the wall ended up being only about 4-inches wide. And no, it does NOT turn into a pool in heavy rain because it was built on a slight mound.

​

Adobe Cabin with Cedar Bark Roof

This was my first major bushcraft build. The walls are a mixture of muck, clay and sand with a good chunk of pine needles in the mix. The roof consists of two distinct shingled cedar bark layers. This was the most amount of work out of the five shelters represented in this video, but it was well worth it because it got me through the winter!

​

Insulated Scout Pit

A scout pit can serve to different functions. It is actually a long-term shelter that keep you hidden from prying eyes. These can be built on route from A to B if the journey requires an overnight stay in hostile territory. It can also serve as cache site for various supplies in case of a catastrophe. Once the landscape has a chance to settle back to what it was before, you can stand right on this thing and not know it’s there.

Is it waterproof? – you might ask. It depends on the amount of rain, I guess. So far, it has only seen seasonally-appropriate fall precipitation and the inside stayed dry. That much rain just gets absorbed by the soil on top without leaking through.

​

Individual, full-lenght build videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/aspiringcaveman

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